Pirate Queen to Launch "Nite Out on Broadway" Honoring WTC First Responders

The Pirate Queen will be the first Broadway production to participate in "Nite Out on Broadway," a new initiative to show gratitude to the men and women who worked to clean up the wreckage at the World Trade Center after 9/11 and are now suffering from serious, sometimes fatal maladies. The company will welcome two families as VIP guests at the show's June 3 performance. The event was created by Pirate Queen cast member Bill Youmans and New York Disaster Interfaith Services.

The mission of "Nite Out on Broadway" is to identify first responders who are suffering from serious illnesses directly resulting from their work at WTC, and invite them with their family to experience a Broadway show. Understanding that many of these families cannot afford to attend the theater, the hope is that NOOB will lighten their minds and help them realize the amount of appreciation that exists within the Broadway community.

The cast and crew of The Pirate Queen have raised funds among themselves to pay for tickets and transportation for two selected families, both of whom will be picked up from their homes and driven in a limousine to the Hilton Theatre. They will have refreshments in the VIP Lounge, attend the show, receive a backstage tour, meet the cast, receive autographed souvenirs and be acknowledged by the cast during the curtain call.

The initial honorees include James La Pena, a 52-year-old construction worker who personally rescued two Port Authority police officers from the rubble of the WTC. After working many months at the site, he lost his regular job, is now wheelchair bound and suffers from respiratory illness. He will attend The Pirate Queen with his three sons.